Libertarian Librarian

Perhaps this will need to be a weekly feature. Certainly that much alliteration deserves more space than I have given it in recent weeks and months. And I should note up front-- this week's winner is not anywhere close to the level of a Kenny Rogers. But he did almost single-handedly cost the Pittsburgh Steelers a victory against the New England Patriots yesterday, and the loss may come back to haunt the Steelers come playoff time.

My friends (and I use that term loosely), I give you: Antwaan Randle El.

The sitch: Early in the second quarter in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have rolled off 10 straight points to take a 10-7 lead, and now they have recovered a Patriots' fumble deep in Pittsburgh territory and run it back to the Pittsburgh 35. Run no gain. Okay, so that's the set up. Pittsburgh up 10-7, just dodged a bullet recovering a Patriots' fumble, and it's 2nd and 9.

Roethlisberger drops back and hits Randle El in stride as he zooms down the left side. Randle El makes a couple of nice moves, and he's down to the Patriots' 15 before a Pat defender can zoom in on him. Game breaking play! Steelers go from staring a 10-10 tie or 14-10 deficit into at least a 13-7 lead and maybe a 17-7 lead.

Except that Randle El tries to lateral the ball to Hines Ward, his fellow Steelers' wide receiver who is running up behind him on the play! Are you KIDDING ME?!!

Naturally Ward, who has no reason to suspect that his teammate will have a sudden secession of all brain activity and attempt to throw the ball to him, dropped the lateral and the Patriots recovered. Instead of first and ten on the Patriots' 15 with the home crowd roaring at experimental refrigerator decibal levels, the Patriots take back over on offense, and the Heinz Field crowd is stunned into nearly complete silence.

What a maroon! Who knows how the game would've played out if Randle El had just fallen down on the 15 instead of trying a crazy, half-assed lateral, but I think the odds are good that Pittsburgh punches it in, takes a 17-7 lead, and suddenly has the champs on the ropes. Randle El later compouned his idiotic play with really lousy play by dropping several balls at key points in the game.

In the end, the Steelers lost the game on a last second field goal on a beautifully executed drive during which none of the Patriots' receivers dropped the ball OR tried to lateral it to teammates.

Close runner up to Randle El for the LLIAA is "genius coach" Bill Parcells. The Cowboys missed the extra point on their first touchdown, and when they scored their second touchdown in the 2nd quarter, the Cowboys WENT FOR TWO! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Late in the game, if your team is trailing by a lot or the numbers are right you should go for two, but before the 4th quarter, it almost never makes sense to try for 2. There are simply too many permutations for the score to risk the guarenteed 1 for the 60-70% 2. It's stupid. Plain and simple. Lucky for Parcells that he's a genius, and that his team managed to win despite his poor decision making process. I more and more wonder if a whole lot of the Parcells' "legend" wasn't a product of having Bill Bellichek as his defensive coordinator.